Skells

It's the beginning of a gorgeous September in the City that Never Sleeps. Summer may be officially over, but Labor Day Weekend means ethnic festivals and dancing the streets and lots of overtime for police officer Tony Cavalucci. When crowd control gets unusually dangerous, Tony starts to wonder why he even does this kind of work. And going home doesn't bring him any more respect. His neurotic and dramatic family disapproves of both Tony's fiancé and his new-found faith. All this foreshadows what's about to come to the people of New York on September 11, 2001. Normal day-to-day events and fantastic weather lead up to the most difficult day in the city's history. Now Tony finds himself in brand new territory. As he fights to survive and help others survive as well, Tony learns all over what faith means, what family means, and what life itself means. The author of this highly compelling novel is an ex-cop who survived the World Trade Center rescue efforts. Consequently, the storytelling throughout the book rings with authenticity. All of this makes for a fast-paced and deeply moving page-turner that is at times funny, at times horrible, and always full of humanity, compassion, and the presence of God. The Liones offer their very best work in Clear Blue Sky.

In New York City, Times Square is known as the crossroads of the world. It's where everyone comes to ring in the New Year-the good and the bad, the beautiful and the gritty . . . and the NYPD. But for Tony Cavalucci, an NYPD cop, the holiday season means long hours and little sleep. Instead of joining the countdown, Tony finds himself trapped between his feuding family and his new girlfriend, Michele. After a terrible family fight, Tony runs head on into his struggle against alcohol and wonders if taking a drink would solve all his problems. Or is there another way? Will his family come around or does continuing his relationship with Michele mean giving up on the people he loves? As edgy as life on the streets, The Crossroads, book two in the Midtown Blue series, follows the continuing struggle of one rugged cop.

The NYPD has a name for the perps who live on the streets. They are called skells, people who cause trouble for cops trying to keep the peace. Night after night of run-ins with the skells takes its toll on NYPD cop Tony Cavalucci, who's just trying to see them as people who need compassion. But with his co-workers mocking his newfound caring attitude, Tony is finding it hard to keep up with a job that too often drags him down. Meanwhile, Tony finds little solace from his family, which is at war with itself, creating wounds that will be hard to heal. Seeing the mess his family has become, Tony's determined not to make the same mistakes. But after he learns of events from his father's past, will Tony change his perspective? Book 3 in the Midtown Blue series, Skells combines grit with an unexpectedly engaging vulnerability to make this story of a rugged cop a captivating read.